Underworld
of the East is the remarkable story of James Lee who,
starting in 1895, spent 20 years pursuing all the pleasures
and dangers the Far East had to offer. A twilight world of
ports, red light districts, drug dens and secret chambers of
vice, and our guide not some prurient flaneur protesting his
shock and disbelief at every step but a mining foreman from
Yorkshire who is largely preoccupied with smoking, swallowing
and injecting as many drugs as possible.

Finally
he tells us of his discovery of two mysterious drugs in the
jungles of Sumatra which - if their existence and effects are
to be believed - would offer not only spectacular new highs
to the drug connoisseur but nothing less than a fortune to
the pharmaceutical industry.

Ecstasy
(MDMA) is the first of a new generation of mind-changing
substances that is reported to transform personal
relationships and boost self-esteem. Its effects have been
described as opening people up to their intuition and
feelings, leading to an expanded sense of self-awareness and
empathy for others. After a decade of use by
psycho-therapists, MDMA surged into public awareness and has
been used by millions.

Opium
Poppy Garden describes the cultivation, harvest and
pharmacology of opium in a format that combines literary and
instructional writing. The heart of the book is the tale of
Ch'ien, a young Chinese man who travels from Costa Rica to
Colombia to grow an opium garden in the manner his Taoist
grandfather taught him. The story, in conjunction with
"The Cultivator's Diary" and the technical
appendix, provide the reader with a working knowledge of this
plant.